Living in the heart of Europe
Explore your new home country – Upper Austria!
The favourable location in the foothills of the Alps and the numerous lakes offer a wide range of sports and leisure activities in summer as well as in winter. Perfect infrastructure, affordable housing, childcare and educational facilities as well asa flourishing economy make Upper Austria a country worth living in.
Upper Austria offers endless opportunities also to those who love exploring cultural sights or natural wonders. The website of Oberösterreich Tourismus gives you a broad variety of ideas, if you wish to spend your free-time actively. For inspiration follow their Instagram channel @upperaustria too.
First steps for Internationals moving to Upper Austria
Someone moving to a new country needs to be prepared to take a few bureaucratic steps. The following points are recommended to make the process as efficient as possible.
Visa and residence permit
The residence of foreigners for up to six months is subject to the Aliens Police Act (Fremdenpolizeigesetz/FPG). Residences of over six months are governed by the Settlement and Residence Act (Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz/NAG), which regulates the issuance of residence permits for foreigners.
Average living costs
Your average living costs will, of course, depend on your lifestyle. However, here is a very general example of how an average Upper Austrian spends a monthly salary.
Institutions and Functions
It is a challenge to build a life in a new country. In order to make your first steps in Upper Austria easier, we have prepared an overview of the individual institutions and their functions for you.
Housing in Upper Austria
When you are looking for a home or need information about all the necessary steps to get settled have a look at the following points. If you have any questions about a specific location in Upper Austria please contact us.
Car and Driving
In this section you can find information about getting your first driving license or the transcription of you driving license.
Supportive Networks for Internationals
The Come2Upper Austria Service Center is an initiative of the Upper Austrian location agency Business Upper Austria. But there are also other international and local associations.
Healthcare & insurance
Austria holds a leading position in international quality of life and healthcare rankings. Legislation defines that social insurance is compulsory and based on the principle of solidarity.
Family, childcare & education
Upper Austria provides a wide variety of high-quality international education at a fair price. In this chapter, you will find general information about how the Austrian educational system is structured and a compact overview of educational institutions, student benefits and useful links for further information.
Transport
Attention should be payed to what is important when having a non-Austrian driving licence and bringing your own car to your new home country. If you stay for a longer time in Austria, you should also check out the different ticket options you have for the public transportation system.
Useful Facts
Here you can find some useful facts about different aspects of live in Upper Austria. For example: Did you know that (Upper) Austrians love to pay cash? So you better keep some cash with you at all times to pay the taxi driver or in the restaurant as debit or credit cards may not be accepted.
What to do in Upper Austria
Upper Austria is like a well-stocked speciality shop where you can find everything that Austria is famous for in condensed form. Visit its crystal-clear lakes, the mountains and forests or cities. We can recommend some highlights...
